The Maleny ‘Fire Event’: Rehearsals Toward Neo-liminality

Although the anthropological literature on ritual is extensive, little theoretical attention has been paid to recent attempts to (re)create rituals among mainstream groups in post-industrial, secularised societies. The authors address this issue by examiuning the annual Fire Event, which is constructed as a ritual climax to the Maleny Folk Festival in southern Queensland, Australia. Using the work of Victor Turner and John MacAloon as a point of departure, we argue that at best such celebrations constitute a neo-liminal framework within which participants can achieve a consensus of belief and action. By showing that some Fire Events have been more successful ‘rituals’ than others, we also highlight the factors which tend to impede participation and ‘con-subjectivity’ in such settings. In the process we identify some of the cultural divisions at Maleny, such as those between artists and ‘folk’, feral hippies and ‘hoons’, Aboriginals and Anglos, and begin to reflect on how these may relate to more general patterns of interaction in Australian society at large.     

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GROWTH RATES AND NUCLEIC ACID CONTENTS IN THE ROOTS OF INBRED LINES OF CORN

Woodstock , Lowell W., and Folke Skooc . (U. Wisconsin, Madison.) Relationships between growth rates and nucleic acid contents in the roots of inbred lines of corn. Amer. Jour. Bot. 47(9) : 713–716. Illus. 1960.—A study has been made of the rates of elongation and nucleic acid contents of the roots of inbred lines of Zea mays, var. W-158, A-374B, W-58, W-28, 8A, and W-148. A direct proportionality was found between the ribosenucleic acid contents (μg./root) of the apical 3 or 6 mm. of the roots (roughly equivalent to their growing tips) and their rates of elongation. This strict, quantitative relationship to growth rate appears to be specific for RNA; it was not found for DNA, and it was independent of the size of the root. A detailed study of one line (W-58) has shown, furthermore, that the ribosenucleic acid content in the root tip decreases with time in proportion to the decrease in the growth rate of the root.     

Systematic implicationsofflavonoid patterns in Haplopappus segregates

Complex flavonoid patterns are correlated with primitive woody taxa and high base chromosome numbers among Haplopappus segregates. Variability among flavonoid complements supports the polyphyletic interpretation of the genus.     

Assessment of uncoupling activity of uncoupling protein 3 using a yeast heterologous expression system.

Uncoupling protein 3L, uncoupling protein 1 and the mitochondrial oxoglutarate carrier were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisae. Effects on different parameters related to the energy expenditure were studied. Both uncoupling protein 3L and uncoupling protein 1 reduced the growth rate by 49% and 32% and increased the whole yeast O2 consumption by 31% and 19%, respectively. In isolated mitochondria, uncoupling protein 1 increased the state 4 respiration by 1.8-fold, while uncoupling protein 3L increased the state 4 respiration by 1.2-fold. Interestingly, mutant uncoupling protein 1 carrying the H145Q and H147N mutations, previously shown to markedly decrease the H+ transport activity of uncoupling protein 1 when assessed using a proteoliposome system (Bienengraeber et al. (1998) Biochem. 37, 3-8), uncoupled the mitochondrial respiration to almost the same degree as wild-type uncoupling protein 1. Thus, absence of this histidine pair in uncoupling protein 2 and uncoupling protein 3 does not by itself rule out the possibility that these carriers have an uncoupling function. The oxoglutarate carrier had no effect on any of the studied parameters. In summary, a discordance exists between the magnitude of effects of uncoupling protein 3L and uncoupling protein 1 in whole yeast versus isolated mitochondria, with uncoupling protein 3L having greater effects in whole yeast and a smaller effect on the state 4 respiration in isolated mitochondria. These findings suggest that uncoupling protein 3L, like uncoupling protein 1, has an uncoupling activity. However, the mechanism of action and/or regulation of the activity of uncoupling protein 3L is likely to be different.     

Simple Agar Block Slide Culture Suitable for Varying the Environment of Bacteria During Time-Lapse Cinephotomicrography

A simple paper wick agar block slide culture is described for use in experiments which vary the chemical environment of bacteria during time-lapse cinephotomicrography.     

Expression of the TEL-Syk Fusion Protein in Hematopoietic Stem Cells Leads to Rapidly Fatal Myelofibrosis in Mice

The TEL-Syk fusion protein was isolated from a patient with myelodysplasia with megakaryocyte blasts. Expression of TEL-Syk transforms interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent Ba/F3 cells in vitro by deregulating STAT5-mediated signal transduction pathways. In vivo, TEL-Syk expression in pre-B cells blocks B cell differentiation, leading to lymphoid leukemia. Here, we demonstrate that TEL-Syk introduced into fetal liver hematopoietic cells, which are then adoptively transferred into lethally irradiated recipients, leads to an aggressive myelodysplasia with myelofibrosis that is lethal in mice by 60–75 days. Expression of TEL-Syk induces a short-lived myeloexpansion that is rapidly followed by bone marrow failure and extreme splenic/hepatic fibrosis accompanied by extensive apoptosis. The disease is dependent on Syk kinase activity. Analysis of serum from TEL-Syk mice reveals an inflammatory cytokine signature reminiscent of that found in the sera from patients and mouse models of myeloproliferative neoplasms. TEL-Syk expressing cells showed constitutive STAT5 phosphorylation, which was resistant to JAK inhibition, consistent with deregulated cytokine signaling. These data indicate that expression of TEL-Syk in fetal liver hematopoietic cells results in JAK-independent STAT5 phosphorylation ultimately leading to a uniquely aggressive and lethal form of myelofibrosis.     

Ethers and esters derived from apocynin avoid the interaction between p47phox and p22phox subunits of NADPH oxidase: evaluation in?vitro and in silico

NOX (NADPH oxidase) plays an important role during several pathologies because it produces the superoxide anion (O₂^•−), which reacts with NO (nitric oxide), diminishing its vasodilator effect. Although different isoforms of NOX are expressed in ECs (endothelial cells) of blood vessels, the NOX2 isoform has been considered the principal therapeutic target for vascular diseases because it can be up-regulated by inhibiting the interaction between its p47phox (cytosolic protein) and p22phox (transmembrane protein) subunits. In this research, two ethers, 4-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-acetic acid (1) and 4-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenoxy)-butyric acid (2) and two esters, pentanedioic acid mono-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenyl) ester (3) and heptanedioic acid mono-(4-acetyl-2-methoxy-phenyl) ester (4), which are apocynin derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as NOX inhibitors by quantifying O₂^•− production using EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) measurements. In addition, the antioxidant activity of apocynin and its derivatives were determined. A docking study was used to identify the interactions between the NOX2′s p47phox subunit and apocynin or its derivatives. The results showed that all of the compounds exhibit inhibitory activity on NOX, being 4 the best derivative. However, neither apocynin nor its derivatives were free radical scavengers. On the other hand, the in silico studies demonstrated that the apocynin and its derivatives were recognized by the polybasic SH3A and SH3B domains, which are regions of p47phox that interact with p22phox. Therefore this experimental and theoretical study suggests that compound 4 could prevent the formation of the complex between p47phox and p22phox without needing to be activated by MPO (myeloperoxidase), this being an advantage over apocynin.     

A computational model of in vitro angiogenesis based on extracellular matrix fibre orientation

Recent interest in the process of vascularisation within the biomedical community has motivated numerous new research efforts focusing on the process of angiogenesis. Although the role of chemical factors during angiogenesis has been well documented, the role of mechanical factors, such as the interaction between angiogenic vessels and the extracellular matrix, remains poorly understood. In vitro methods for studying angiogenesis exist; however, measurements available using such techniques often suffer from limited spatial and temporal resolutions. For this reason, computational models have been extensively employed to investigate various aspects of angiogenesis. This paper outlines the formulation and validation of a simple and robust computational model developed to accurately simulate angiogenesis based on length, branching and orientation morphometrics collected from vascularised tissue constructs. Microvessels were represented as a series of connected line segments. The morphology of the vessels was determined by a linear combination of the collagen fibre orientation, the vessel density gradient and a random walk component. Excellent agreement was observed between computational and experimental morphometric data over time. Computational predictions of microvessel orientation within an anisotropic matrix correlated well with experimental data. The accuracy of this modelling approach makes it a valuable platform for investigating the role of mechanical interactions during angiogenesis.